The distribution of sensitive and/or confidential data from personal computing devices to unauthorized parties represents a significant security threat for many organizations (e.g., organizations that handle classified research, financial information, customer information, etc.). In some cases, harmful data leaks may be facilitated by certain applications installed on a user's computing device. For example, a user may intentionally distribute confidential information via an unmonitored third-party messaging application. Alternatively, a user may download a seemingly innocuous application onto a computing device that contains malware used to gain access to sensitive data stored on the device without the user's knowledge.
As a result, administrators of an organization may wish to “lock down” the computing devices of users within the organization to ensure that the users cannot install harmful applications that may facilitate data leaks. Unfortunately, traditional methods for locking down computing devices may require implementing substantial changes to the operating system of a computing device, either during manufacture or after rooting the device. Such conventional methods may require that individuals within an organization all use a specific type of device and/or they may interrupt or impair a user's operation of a computing device when the device is rooted. As such, the present disclosure identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved systems and methods for preventing the installation of unapproved applications onto computing devices.